Chapter 139: Casting the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Casting the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth
"Child, this place is the secret hideout of my sect, the White Sword Sect. Why is an outsider like you here?"
"……"
At Ok-ryeong’s question, Yorang remained as silent as if she had eaten a mouthful of honey. It was because she had no idea what to say.
What should I say? Should I tell her the truth?
She fell into deep thought. Soon, having reached a quick conclusion, she opened her mouth.
"I followed Sun-woo!"
"What!?"
Ok-ryeong asked back, her voice laced with shock. How could Sun-woo possibly know about the White Sword Sect’s secret hideout? No, more importantly, how could he bring such an incredibly beautiful girl into this place?
She began to carefully observe Yorang, who was sitting before her.
Hair like flowing ebony, skin like white jade, a tiny face with eyes that sparkled like stars, a dainty nose, and lips as charming as cherries—the woman before her possessed the most beautiful appearance Ok-ryeong had ever seen in her life.
Until now, she had believed the most beautiful person in the world was her master. But today, that belief was completely overturned. The world’s greatest beauty was right here in front of her.
As she took in the girl's appearance once more, a wave of gloom suddenly washed over Ok-ryeong.
She must be Sun-woo’s lover.
Where in the world was a man who could turn away a woman of such beauty? He must have found a new lover to replace her while she was unconscious. And a girl younger and prettier than herself, at that.
She felt as if her heart were crumbling. He was the husband she had yearned for even in her dreams. The fact that he had found a new woman struck her with agonizing pain.
However, she soon shook her head. It was a bad habit to judge someone based on mere suspicion. How could she doubt Sun-woo just because of this woman’s presence?
She felt a small pang of regret. First, she needed to confirm the facts.
"Wh-what is your... relationship with Sun-woo?" she asked Yorang, her heart trembling.
This was something she had to clarify with the person involved. She prayed and prayed inwardly. Please, let them be nothing to each other.
"Uuuung... Hmm."
Yorang began to ponder Ok-ryeong’s question. She herself wasn't quite sure what her relationship with Sun-woo was. What exactly were they to each other? Thoughts she had never considered before began to clutter her mind.
It was then.
"Ah."
Yorang let out an exclamation as if she had remembered something. She had been asked a similar question before. A relationship where your heart thumps just thinking about the person, where you feel anxious when you see them, and where you think about them all day long.
He had definitely called that love.
"We’re in love," Yorang said nonchalantly.
"...I... I see..."
Hearing Yorang’s casual remark, Ok-ryeong stammered as if she had received a massive shock. She had expected it to some extent. Why else would he bring such a peerless beauty all the way here? They likely shared everything, to the point of having no secrets from one another.
Ok-ryeong was overcome with sorrow. Then, a wave of self-loathing followed. If only she hadn't been unconscious for so long, if only she hadn't left Sun-woo all alone—perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
A corner of her heart ached uncontrollably.
Drip. Drip.
Soon, tears began to fall from Ok-ryeong’s eyes. She felt as if she couldn't endure it without crying.
Gasp!
Yorang panicked when the woman suddenly burst into tears. Why was she crying out of nowhere? Yorang had no idea what to do. If Sun-woo found out she had made this woman cry, he would beat her to a pulp.
She hated that. She was already being beaten countless times by that old man, the Yin-Yang Demon. She had absolutely no desire to be hit by Sun-woo as well.
Yorang slowly approached her.
"Don't cryyyyy."
Reaching her side, Yorang lifted her sleeve and began to wipe away the woman's tears.
Swipe. Swipe.
She wiped away the tears drop by drop. Once they were all gone, Yorang spread her arms and pulled her into an embrace. Whenever Yorang got beaten by Sun-woo and wailed, Madam Tang would always comfort her like this. The warmth felt from another person seemed to have the power to neutralize even the deepest sadness.
Perhaps it was because she felt the girl's body heat, but Ok-ryeong was able to calm her mind and eventually stopped crying.
"Thank you," she said to Yorang in a soft tone.
"You can't cry anymore," Yorang said, her voice filled with concern.
"I looked quite pathetic, didn't I?"
Ok-ryeong felt a rush of embarrassment at the thought of showing tears to someone who looked so much younger than her. To show such a pathetic display out of jealousy—it felt as if she had aged for nothing.
"No, you're pretty, so it wasn't pathetic at all!"
Yorang spoke exactly what she felt. The moment the woman had shown her tears, Yorang had found her incredibly pitiful and sad. She was far too beautiful to be called pathetic.
"Thank you."
Taking the words as comfort, Ok-ryeong managed a small smile. What woman in the world would dislike being called pretty? She slowly pulled away from Yorang’s embrace.
"Could you perhaps tell me where Sun-woo is?" she asked in a gentle voice.
"Ooooover there."
At the question, Yorang pointed her finger toward the ground where Sun-woo was buried. Ok-ryeong followed Yorang’s finger with her gaze. However, all she saw where the girl pointed was flat earth.
"Where do you mean?" she asked again.
No matter how hard she looked, there wasn't a trace of Sun-woo to be seen.
"Under the ground, ooooover there," Yorang continued, pointing at the dirt again.
Hearing Yorang’s words, Ok-ryeong’s face turned pale. What on earth did that mean? He was buried!? Did that mean he was dead? Various thoughts began to swirl through her mind.
"Is he... dead?" she asked Yorang, her voice trembling.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart began to race frantically. If he were dead, she didn't think she could stay sane. He was the lover she would have given her life to protect. How could she live in a world without him?
"No?"
Yorang lightly denied Ok-ryeong’s words. She had been checking Sun-woo’s life status countless times through the Yin-Yang Demon. Sun-woo wasn't dead. Not yet, anyway.
"Wait... Isn't he buried?" Ok-ryeong asked with a bewildered expression.
"Yeah, he's buried."
"How can a living person survive being buried?" Ok-ryeong continued, her face full of confusion. How could someone be buried alive and still be alive?
"I don't know. That's just what they said."
Yorang told her exactly what she had heard from the Yin-Yang Demon. She didn't know the mechanics. Regardless, as long as he was alive, wasn't that enough?
"How long has it been since he was buried?" Ok-ryeong asked urgently.
"Uuuung... a month?"
"What!?"
Upon hearing Yorang’s answer, Ok-ryeong rushed toward the spot where Sun-woo was buried.
"Wh-what are you doing!?"
"I have to dig him out right now!"
Ok-ryeong reached out as if she were about to start digging with her bare hands.
"No!"
Yorang quickly blocked her path.
"You absolutely can't!"
She couldn't let her dig up the ground. If the Yin-Yang Demon found out the ground had been disturbed, she would be killed. Besides, Sun-woo was currently in the middle of training. Digging him up in such a situation was out of the question.
"Move out of the way!" Ok-ryeong shouted desperately.
Even for a martial artist, being buried for a month was life-threatening. Moreover, wasn't Sun-woo just a boy at the Super-Peak Realm? She had to get him out immediately.
"Get out of the way this instant!"
"I said no!"
Ok-ryeong felt frustrated by Yorang’s stubbornness. It was obvious Sun-woo would die if left like this, so why was she being so obstinate? She began to circulate her internal energy. Every second was precious. There was no time to bicker here.
"If you don't move now, I will make you move by force. Step aside."
Ok-ryeong activated her entire body with her internal energy.
Grab.
She grabbed Yorang and began to slowly push her away.
Huh?
But no matter how much strength she exerted, Yorang didn't budge an inch.
"You absolutely can't!"
Yorang was also holding her ground in her own way. If she were pushed back here, all of Sun-woo’s training would be ruined. She couldn't let that happen. Yorang drew power from her inner core and reinforced her physical body. Her strength increased, and her weight seemed to settle. This much should be enough to keep her from being easily moved.
"Sigh."
Ok-ryeong let out a long breath. It seemed she couldn't push the girl away with raw strength alone. She felt sorry, but it seemed she would have to knock her unconscious. She began to gather internal energy in her palm. Soon, a significant amount of power concentrated in her hand. She adjusted the output as much as possible—just enough to knock her out.
BAM!
She struck Yorang directly.
"Ugh!"
Taking the palm strike head-on, Yorang was sent flying backward.
CRASH!
She slammed into the wall of the cavern. Seeing Yorang fly off, Ok-ryeong turned her attention back to the ground to start digging.
Shake.
"That hurt!"
But Yorang, who had already pulled herself out of the wall, shouted at her. What was she doing, attacking her out of the blue? Yorang was thoroughly angry now, huffing through her nose. She realized that words wouldn't work on this woman.
Ok-ryeong bit her lip. Even though she had lowered the power, she never imagined the girl would withstand a direct hit from the White Flower Palm. It seemed she would have to increase the intensity. She began to circulate her energy again, intending to end this as quickly as possible.
Vroooooom.
Sensing Ok-ryeong’s unusual aura, Yorang also began to draw energy from her inner core. She couldn't afford to back down either.
Whoosh!
With the sound of cutting through the wind, Ok-ryeong lunged at Yorang. Yorang also raised her fist toward the incoming woman.
BOOM!
Ok-ryeong’s White Flower Palm and Yorang’s fist collided, letting out a thunderous roar.
*
Meanwhile, Sun-woo, trapped underground, reached out his hand and once again cast the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
Heave.
The soil touching his hand was repelled all at once, creating a small space. However, that space was pitifully small.
"Haaa..."
Sun-woo sighed. He had secured as much space as possible using the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, but reaching the surface still seemed like a distant dream. Even though he had poured in all five years' worth of his internal energy, it seemed impossible to clear away millions of pounds of earth.
Sun-woo fell into thought. At this rate, it would take years to reach the top. But if he started digging by hand, the soil above would all collapse on him.
Ultimately, to get out, he had to use the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth to dig with equal force so the soil wouldn't collapse. But the problem was that five years of internal energy had a very clear limit.
Sun-woo pondered again. He had gained the ability to cast the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, but his lack of internal energy was holding him back. He felt a surge of resentment toward the Yin-Yang Demon. If only he had left him with ten years instead of five, it wouldn't have felt this hopeless.
Dammit.
A curse escaped his lips. Sun-woo began to search for a solution once more. He didn't have the luxury of waiting years. If he dawdled here, the Tang Clan would be massacred. He couldn't let that happen. The Tang Clan had hundreds of branch family members and servants. If the clan were destroyed, what would become of their lives? They would surely fall into a wretched existence.
Grit.
Sun-woo clenched his teeth. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't ruin their lives because of his own failure.
He sank into deep thought. Come to think of it, the answer had always been in the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Splitting the rock for the first time was thanks to concentrating his internal energy according to the technique's principles. Even when he was waiting for death underground, he had realized the utility of the Great Shift and managed to climb this far.
In the end, the answer was the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Then, what should he do to escape this deep, deep place?
The demon had clearly said that the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was not an internal energy cultivation method, but rather a core principle for using internal energy. Didn't that mean it could be used in tandem with a cultivation method?
In an instant, Sun-woo felt as if his mind had cleared. If this hypothesis was correct, he could gain the power to escape this place even with only five years of internal energy. He would take the energy activated by the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art and amplify it once more using the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
Hmm.
But Sun-woo hesitated. If they could be used together, it would be a blessing, but if not, he would suffer Qi Deviation. Using two martial arts simultaneously was that dangerous. And although the Yin-Yang Demon had said the Great Shift wasn't a cultivation method, it still possessed the unique property of moving internal energy.
That was why he was worried—worried that a wrong choice might lead to his death.
But soon, Sun-woo solidified his choice. One might call it reckless. One might call it stupid. But if he lost the Tang Clan without even trying, he felt he would regret it for the rest of his life. At the very least, he didn't want to live with regrets.
Vroooooom.
Sun-woo began to operate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi circulated through his body and became active. Simultaneously, Sun-woo began to move that energy according to the principles of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. He focused his mind intensely to ensure the principles of the two martial arts didn't clash.
An immense mental load flooded his brain.
"Argh...!"
Sun-woo screamed internally from the mental agony.
Vroooooom!
It was then. His five years of internal energy began to amplify at an incredible speed—at a level incomparable to before.
Sun-woo slowly reached his hand upward. He could feel the thousands of pounds of earth above him. Using his amplified energy, he twisted the flow of the earth.
BOOM!
With a massive roar, the earth was blasted upward. A hole, incomparably larger than before, was created. Sun-woo leaped upward and placed his hand on the soil again.
BOOM!
The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was cast once more. This time, a hole was punched straight through to the top.
Sun-woo cheered internally. He had cleared away all the earth that had been filling the pit. Swallowing his joy, he began to send internal energy to his Yongcheon points. Although it was only five years' worth, if amplified by the Great Shift, it would be enough to propel him out.
Sun-woo instantly exploded the internal energy concentrated to the limit in his Yongcheon points.
BANG!
With a thunderous sound, Sun-woo’s body shot into the air.
Finally, it was time to get out.